Simpson County Paper on Bad Larry Buffington

Larry Buffington told the Magee Courier he "misspoke" when he didn't care about the law.

The Judicial Performance Commission has recommended that Chancery Judge Larry Buffington should be publicly reprimanded and assessed costs associated with their findings that the judge illegally subpoenaed issued to two supervisors in February 2009.

Buffington was acting outside guidelines of the law when he personally issued the subpoenas that were not complete, according to the performance commission.

Buffington said he felt it was a fair resolution to the matter and that he had become frustrated when he wanted to meet with the supervisors and they had refused to do so unless subpoenaed.

"I should have let this issue die, but I didn't," he said.

He said he misspoke when he made the statement that he did not care if he complied with the law. According to Buffington the fees associated with the findings are $100.

The newspaper editorialized "it was the wrong thing to do."

Of all the allegations that were made against Judge Buffington, the only one to hold water was regarding Buffington's subpoenas of two supervisors, which was the wrong thing to do. Buffington then apparently got his dandruff up and vocalized his disregard of the law. Again it was the wrong thing to do.

Buffington puts the Buff in buffoonery

Sid Salter says Larry Buffington "puts the Buff in buffoonery."

Readers, you remember Larry Buffington. He's the guy that back in 2006 thought the taxpayers of District 13 were so blessed to have him serving as their chancellor that he would simultaneously run for re-election as chancery judge while also seeking the state Court of Appeals seat that was being vacated by Judge Leslie Southwick when he was appointed to the federal bench.

Buffington is apparently one of those candidates who believe the voters owe them a job and that the taxpayers should pick up the extra tab to pay for special elections made necessary by the political avarice of dual candidacies.

Buffington lacked authority to command Supervisors Pete Lowery and Randy Moore to appear before him to answer questions about who leaked to the media his appointment of former state Supreme Court Justice Oliver Diaz as a Simpson County Youth Court public defender.

"Judge Buffington admitted that he had failed to comply with the law when issuing the subpoenas, but did not care," the commission report said.

Subpoenas for county supervisors who disagree with the judge. Dual candidacies that may be legal but are contemptuous of the very real burdens on the taxpayers.

That's putting the Buff in judicial buffoonery, isn't it?

Larry Buffington Violates Mississippi Constitution

The Mississippi Commission on Judicial Performance has ruled that Larry Buffington's actions violated the Mississippi Constitution and recommended to the Mississippi Supreme Court that he be publicly reprimanded. Perhaps the scolding will include, "Bad, Larry Buffington."

The Clarion Ledger spoke to Bad Larry Buffington.

Reached Thursday evening via phone, Buffington said of the commission's recommendation: "It's fair. It's time to conclude this and move on."

Buffington Runs Again

This ought to be an interesting year. Larry Buffington has filed for reelection. What will he do this year now that he can only run for one judicial seat at a time? Will he run for reelection? Or will he act like he is running and then pull out at the last moment and put his hand picked choice on the bench? That is a rumor, but who could be worse than Buffington, anyway?

Larry Buffington Orders Additional Appointment in Simpson County

According to the Magee Courier, Larry Buffington has ordered an additional Youth Court Public Defender in Simpson County. I guess he will work along side Oliver Diaz through the rest of this year, at which time it seems Diaz will step down, and the new person will get his own pay plus that currently given to Diaz.

The county approved an order by Chancery Court Judge Larry Buffington appointing Marc Brand as the Public Defender in Youth Court at the rate of $800 per month until January and the monthly rate will go to $1,200. The difference is the amount the county is paying to Oliver Diaz, who will serve through December. The board recessed until Monday November 9 for a bid opening for the Department of Human Resources new building.

Bad Larry Buffington Inserts Foot

Y'all Politics acknowledges the BLB Blog, but more than that, it shares some tasty sound bytes of Buffington exhibiting his foot in mouth disease.

Some of the things you can hear Bad Larry Buffington say in his own voice:

I asked this Board to be here today. Three of them agreed; two of them didn't. And so I issued a subpoena. And they didn't let my clerk and I didn't comply with - be honest with you it didn't comply with what the statute said, because I didn't care. I wadn't planning on having a big group here; wadn't planning on having the media here.

Now why did I hire these people? Just like I did Justice Diaz. I hired him because he's competent. Everyone of these people that I hire I feel comfortable with. Everyone of them are my friends. Most people, when you hire people, you're going to hire your friends. So I'm not ashamed of anybody I’ve hired. Because first of all, I know they can do the job. Secondly, I know they're my friends.

Joey McNulty got the contract on my local hospital in Covington County. I would dare to say that he would tell you, if hadn't been for me he wouldn't have gotten that contract, because I asked him to come down. We were having trouble with our local hospital, like a lot of them do, and I asked him to come down, and I arranged for a meeting with a couple of members of the Board of Supervisors and couple of members of the Board of the Hospital to discuss it, before they were fixin to sale the hospital, to give the con-the hospital to somebody else. He was a friend and I knew he was competent and I knew he could do the job. So I went to bat for him, and I don't know exactly what he made off of it, but I know what his contract was for, and I know how much we billed last year. And it generated probably about a little over a million dollars for this community, because what did he do with that million dollars? He hired twenty to twenty-five more people. Local people. People that reside in-in Simpson County. May have hired three or four from Covington County, but most didn't want to drive up there. So I asked him to come today because I was going to use him to show, because I first of all, I care about all my counties.

Judicial Commission Subpoenas Buffington Video

The Mississippi Commission on Judicial Performance has issued a subpoena to WLBT News for their footage of Judge Larry Buffington's performance at the Simpson County Board of Supervisors meeting in February. Seems they are investigating.........

WLBT coverage subpoenaed by judicial performance commission

SIMPSON COUNTY, MS (WLBT) - The Mississippi Judicial Performance Commission has subpoenaed WLBT's news coverage of a session ordered by Simpson County Chancery Judge Larry Buffington.

Buffington ordered a joint meeting of the Simpson County Board of Supervisors with the court. It was his effort to determine who leaked information to WLBT about former supreme court justice Oliver Diaz being hired as a youth court public defender. A complaint about that meeting was filed with the Judicial Performance Commission by Simpson County Resident Tom Buckner.